Guest Review: The Fairy Chronicles

I am so glad to introduce a new guest reviewer to Booking Mama -- my nine year old daughter Booking Daughter! She has done a few reviews in the past, but this is the first set of reviews that she wrote entirely on her own. The only assistance I gave to her was fixing the spelling errors and doing a little formatting.

I'm taking her word on these three books in THE FAIRY CHRONICLES series because I haven't even had the chance to read them yet! As you can see, she absolutely loved these books and is begging for more. I was happy to see that there are a total of ten books in the series so far, so that should keep her busy for awhile.

A huge thanks goes out to Danielle from Sourcebooks for sending us these beautiful books. If you'd like to learn a little more about THE FAIRY CHRONICLES series by J.H. Sweet, take a look around this very cool website. You can meet the fairies, create e-cards, and play tons of other fun activities.

MARIGOLD AND THE FEATHER OF HOPE, THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Summary: Inside you is the power to do anything.

Meet Beth, who’s just discovered something incredible… she is a fairy, a marigold fairy, to be exact.

But Beth must learn to be a fairy during an emergency! The Feather of Hope has been lost and Beth must enlist the aid of her dog, Peanut, in a daring mission to rescue it from a house occupied by dangerous gremlins. And if Beth, her new fairy friends and Peanut can’t get the Feather back, all hope will be lost…forever.

What if you discovered you had magical fairy powers? Meet the girls of The Fairy Chronicles, otherwise normal girls like you who are blessed by Mother Nature with special gifts. Their extraordinary adventures will change the world! -- Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Beth Parish has to visit her aunt but she doesn't know that her aunt is a fairy...nevertheless does she know that she is one too. This book was probably the first in the series because it shows the steps of how to be a fairy. Madam Toad, the lead fairy, calls a meeting. The fairies find out that the Feather of Hope has been stolen. Will Marigold and her friends find the feather of hope? When everyone gets together, good things can happen.

DRAGONFLY AND THE WEB OF DREAMS

Summary: Inside you is the power to do anything.

The Web of Dreams has been destroyed and every night more and more nightmares are slipping into people’s dreams! Jennifer, or Dragonfly to her fairy friends, is chosen to lead a fairy team to discover what happened to the Web and rebuild it immediately. To do so, they must make a dangerous journey, hunt down the Dream Spider and convince him to weave away the bad dreams.

But the Dream Spider is far away, and danger might be much closer than they think ...

What if you discovered you had magical fairy powers? Meet the girls of The Fairy Chronicles, otherwise normal girls like you who are blessed by Mother Nature with special gifts. Their extraordinary adventures will change the world! -- Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Jennifer Sommerset is a Dragonfly Fairy on a mission. The Web of Dreams is ruined. Soon Dragonfly needs help from her friends but they are scared. I loved reading about what the other fairies did and about the Web of Dreams. The message is that you have special gifts and when you work together, you can accomplish things.

THISTLE AND THE SHELL OF LAUGHTER

Summary: Inside you is the power to do anything.

Giggles, guffaws, chortles and chuckles are created within the Shell of Laughter. And now it has been stolen!

But who would dare to take the world’s laughter? Only the Spirit of Sorrow would be so bold. So, Madam Toad decides to send Thistle, the fairy most full of laughter to find it. Luckily Thistle has her mentor, her friends and her courage. But is even that enough to stop an enemy this sad and evil?

What if you discovered you had magical fairy powers? Meet the girls of The Fairy Chronicles, otherwise normal girls like you who are blessed by Mother Nature with special gifts. Their extraordinary adventures will change the world! -- Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Everything is perfect for Grace Matthews. The holidays are coming up and everything is great until someone steals the Shell of Laughter. Thistle laughs the most so she got chosen along with Dragonfly and Marigold to help find it. They promised to help and keep it a secret from Mother Earth. Through the journey in the woods to the searching for the stone, Thistle keeps the crowd laughing. Soon Thistle stops laughing. Will they find the stone? The main idea is that we all have talents and we should use them together to make things better.

Conclusion: In some way all of these books come together with their similar messages about working together. They all have beautiful drawings and great messages at the end. These wonderful stories have adventures that are happy and sad. One thing is that all of the books are great, and I can't wait to read the next adventure about Firefly!

Review: Shelter Me

Summary: In the tradition of Marisa de los Santos and Anne Tyler comes a moving debut about a young mother's year of heartbreak, loss, and forgiveness...and help that arrives from unexpected sources.

Four months after her husband's death, Janie LaMarche remains undone by grief and anger. Her mourning is disrupted, however, by the unexpected arrival of a builder with a contract to add a porch onto her house. Stunned, Janie realizes the porch was meant to be a surprise from her husband—now his last gift to her.

As she reluctantly allows construction to begin, Janie clings to the familiar outposts of her sorrow—mothering her two small children with fierce protectiveness, avoiding friends and family, and stewing in a rage she can't release. Yet Janie's self-imposed isolation is breached by a cast of unlikely interventionists: her chattering, ipecac-toting aunt; her bossy, over-manicured neighbor; her muffin-bearing cousin; and even Tug, the contractor with a private grief all his own.

As the porch takes shape, Janie discovers that the unknowable terrain of the future is best navigated with the help of others—even those we least expect to call on, much less learn to love. -- Avon

When I was selected to read an ARC of SHELTER ME by Juliette Fay as part of the Harper Collins First Look Program, I was extremely excited. Based on the novel's description, I just knew it would be a book that I would eventually have to read. Fortunately for me, I got a head-start on the book a few months before it will be released. When I opened up the package and took a look at this book, I noticed how beautiful the cover was (especially the patchwork quilt covering the mother and child.) I can definitely say that after reading the novel, I appreciated the cover art even more -- it was just perfect for this story!

I absolutely adored this novel -- from the characters, to the story, to the author's writing style! This is just one of those novels that I got caught up in and couldn't put down. SHELTER ME definitely made me think, and it really stirred up a lot of emotions in me. I am about the same age of Janie and I'm also the mother of a son and daughter. I don't like to think about what would happen to my family if I suddenly lost my husband, but I have to admit that it sometimes enters my mind. Reading about Janie and her children really hit close to home for me. I could definitely understand Janie's grieving for the loss of her husband; however, I could also really relate to outward emotions of anger, frustration and resentment.

There were parts of this novel that were so touching and beautifully written that I found myself getting choked up. Like Janie, I have a four year old son who is very insightful. I felt like some of the things Dylan said about his father were "spot on," albeit very emotional. The scene at Dylan's party just broke my heart especially when they were taking family pictures without the father. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have holidays and other special family events with such an important person missing.

This is Juliette Fay's first novel, and I'm just blown away by her talent. I love how she told this story in third person narrative because I thought it gave insight into all the characters, but I also appreciated how she used Janie's journal writings to give the reader a closer look at her feelings. I am just so impressed how Ms. Fay managed to capture the essence of Janie's grief -- it was incredibly real to me. In addition, I love how she showed Janie's difficulties with guilt as she tried to "move on" with her life. I hope Ms. Fay is busy working on her next novel because I can't wait to read it.

As I mentioned earlier, I thought the cover of this novel was just wonderful; however, I think the title SHELTER ME is even more perfect. Ms. Fay incorporated the theme of "shelter" so well throughout this novel. I could go on forever about how she showed the importance of shelter in our lives through family, parents, spouses, church, homeless shelters, etc. She even chose to have Janie's husband die because he wasn't wearing his bike helmet (another form of shelter.) In addition, she used this recurring theme by having Tug "shelter" Janie by both physically -- by building a porch on her house, as well as figuratively -- by being there to protect and love her. I just love how Ms. Fay wove the theme of shelter and protection throughout the pages of this beautiful novel.

SHELTER ME is published by Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins; and the paperback book has the A+ Author Insights, Extras and More Section in the back. Many of you know from my other reviews that I love these extras, and I think they add so much to my reading experience. There is an interesting interview with Ms. Fay which gives the reader a great deal of insight into the novel and the characters. In addition to the discussion questions, there are also a few recipes of some foods mentioned in the story and a cute little story titled "SHELTER ME Goes Out the Window."

SHELTER ME will be available on December 30th, and I think it is the perfect book club discussion book. It is a little longer than what my book club usually reads (over 400 pages), but it is so worth it. This book will resonate with many women, and I have no doubt that my friends will relate to Janie's grief and her feelings. Ever since I finished this book, I have been dying to talk about it. There are so many wonderful issues to discuss such as single parenting, grieving, starting over, mother-daughter relationships, spirituality, and hope (to name a few.) The discussion questions are terrific and sure to give you lots to think about.

Also reviewed at:
Sincerely Stacie

Hello...You Won The Reincarnationist & The Memorist

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest to win copies of M.J. Rose's THE REINCARNATIONIST AND THE MEMORIST! I found your answers about the possibility of reincarnation very interesting to read.

Without further ado, the winners are:

Janel

Michele

Make sure to check your e-mail and send me your names and mailing addresses!

If you didn't win this contest, I still have quite a few more going on!

Novel Adventures -- 9 books
Katie Brown Celebrates -- up to 5 books
Confetti Cakes for Kids -- up to 5 books
Being Written -- signed copy
Silver Bells

Giveaway: Silver Bells

Summary: -- In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas…so settle into your coziest armchair and enjoy four captivating tales that will make your holidays merry and bright…

“Silver Bells” by Fern Michaels
For years, movie star Amy Lee wondered what it would be like to leave her shallow Hollywood life and go back home to Apple Valley, Pennsylvania. This Christmas, she plans to find out. And Hank Anders, her high-school boyfriend, is now ready to give her a welcome she’ll never forget…

“Dear Santa…” by JoAnn Ross
Mystery author Holly Berry’s SUV has broken down in the little hamlet of Santa’s Village, Washington. Holly hates the holidays—that is until lodge owner Gabriel O’Halloran and his five-year-old daughter rekindle her belief in passion, magic, and Christmas wishes…

“Christmas Past” by Mary Burton
Photographer Nicole Piper just received a very unwelcome Christmas gift—a letter that holds clues to an elusive killer’s identity. Uncovering the truth means enlisting homicide detective David Ayden’s help, and embarking on a road trip that will take them both into the heart of danger and desire…

“A Mulberry Park Christmas” by Judy Duarte
Every Christmas, the folks living on Sugar Plum Lane pull out all the stops when decorating. After a bitter breakup, Alyssa Ridgeway’s heart just isn’t in it this year. But running into her first love, James “Mac” MacGregor, fills her with memories of the tender Christmas kiss they once shared… Kensington Books

I have to admit that I haven't had a chance to read SILVER BELLS yet, but it does look like a wonderful book to read around the holidays! I'm not really sure why, but I received two copies of his book and I'd like to share one with you. Please leave a comment with your e-mail address if you'd like to be entered. Want to double your chances? Then, blog about this contest with a link back to this post! The contest will be open until Saturday, December 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. and Canadian addresses only. Good Luck!

Author Interview: William Conescu & Giveaway

Yesterday, I posted a review of a terrific new book called BEING WRITTEN. It truly is a very special book, and I can honestly say that I've never read anything like it! I am so thrilled that the author William Conescu took the time out of his very busy schedule to answer a few questions for me!

Booking Mama: BEING WRITTEN is such a unique idea for a novel -- I've actually never read anything quite like it. How did the idea for this novel come to you?

William Conescu: I was interested in writing about artistically-minded people in their twenties and thirties struggling to figure out how best to live their lives, and then I had this idea for a dark comedy about a minor character who can hear the author’s pencil scratching when other characters are “being written” nearby. There are parallels in these struggles. Daniel is also figuring out what to do with his unique ability and what role he might play in his universe. So I combined the two ideas: Daniel hears a story being written about these artsy twenty/thirty-something-year-olds, and he works his way into their lives and their story and ultimately hijacks their book.

Booking Mama: When you set out to write BEING WRITTEN, did you know the entire story including the ending? Or, did you just have some ideas and start writing? What was your writing process like for this novel?

William Conescu: After writing a few chapters, I realized that BEING WRITTEN wanted to be a suspenseful novel. So I outlined the whole story, and while plenty of things changed along the way, the ending emerged early in the writing process.

Booking Mama: I thought Daniel was pretty crazy, but for some reason I really liked him. Did you know what direction you were going to take with his character from the start?

William Conescu: I knew I wanted Daniel to be the one character who knew he was a character, and I wanted to explore what that knowledge might make a person do and how it might make him feel. There’d be a loneliness to it. It’s not the kind of knowledge you’re going to share with lots of people because, well, it does sound odd.

Booking Mama: I thought it was very different that Daniel's chapters were written in second person. I understand that originally you didn't write his perspective this way. Why did you choose to write Daniel's chapters in second person? Did you ever consider writing them in first person?

William Conescu: Originally, I wrote the entire novel in the third person, but Daniel’s sections didn’t stand out. I hadn’t captured his unique perspective on how the universe works. I did try the first person but almost immediately moved to the second person. The second person can give a sense of a character talking to himself. It works well for a character who has an unusual mindset or who can’t believe he’s in a particular situation.

So the novel alternates between third person chapters that show the perspectives of characters who don’t know they’re in a book and second person chapters that show Daniel’s perception of being written into their story.

Booking Mama: BEING WRITTEN is your first novel but you have written and published some short stories. Which do you prefer writing -- novels or short stories?

William Conescu: I had a great time writing BEING WRITTEN, and at the moment I’m focused on my second novel. But I certainly enjoy writing and reading short stories and will continue to write them, too.

Booking Mama: What are you working on now?

William Conescu: I recently completed a first draft of my next novel. It’s not a work of metafiction, but it has its own flavor of strangeness to it.

Booking Mama: How has your life changed now that you've published a novel?

William Conescu: It’s very exciting to see the novel in bookstores everywhere and to hear from book groups and readers.

The book tour has been great, too. I’ve been to some really cool bookstores and met terrific people. BEING WRITTEN is a fun book to read aloud. Here’s a YouTube clip from a reading:



Booking Mama: I always ask this question because I think it tells a lot about a person. Who are some of your favorite writers and what are some of your favorite books? What are you reading right now?

William Conescu: My longtime favorite authors are Edith Wharton and Vladimir Nabokov. Some more recent favorites: Yann Martel’s The Life of Pi, David Ebershoff’s The Danish Girl, Diana Spechler’s Who By Fire, Andrew Sean Greer’s The Confessions of Max Tivoli. And I just finished Daniel Wallace’s Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician, which was excellent.

A huge thanks goes out to William Conescu for taking the time to answer some of my questions!He has also graciously offered a signed copy of BEING WRITTEN to one lucky reader. To enter the contest, please leave a comment with your e-mail address. If you'd like to double your chances, blog about this contest with a link back here. The contest will be open until Friday, December 12th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winner the next day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canadian mailing addresses only. Good Luck!

Review: Being Written

Summary: Daniel Fischer has a secret. He knows he's a character in a book that's being written. He's the only one who knows, the only one who's aware of the author's presence—but what good does it do Daniel? He's just a minor character. The author seems much more interested in other people's lives. Now Daniel is determined to win a bigger part, and he'll do whatever it takes to get the author's attention and make this story his own.

Suspenseful, subversive, and hilarious, Being Written is an audaciously inventive literary turn that gleefully calls into question who we trust, what we believe, and how the stories of our lives are created. -- Harper Perennial

When William Conescu, author of the new novel BEING WRITTEN, contacted me about reading his book, I jumped at the chance. I read the summary and a few bits of praise surrounding the book, and I knew I just had to read it. I thought the premise behind this novel -- that a guy can hear "scribbling sounds" and know that someone is writing a book with him as a character -- sounded so unique. While I was interested in the storyline, I have to admit that part of the reason I wanted to read this book was because I wasn't sure how the author was going to pull off this concept.

Well, guess what? Mr. Conescu did pull off this very unique idea for a story, and I thought BEING WRITTEN was absolutely brilliant!!! It was one of those rare books that had me saying "WOW" when I finished it. I couldn't put the book down and read it in (almost) one sitting. The book is not very long (a little under 200 pages), but it does pack a very powerful punch.

This novel is most definitely a dark comedy; but I think even if you're not a big fan of those types of stories, you will still appreciate BEING WRITTEN. In addition to the story of Daniel and his desire to become a main character in a novel, this book is also about a group of 20+ somethings who are trying to find themselves. In a way, it's kind of a self-discovery, coming-of-age type of novel. However, the real beauty for me was the story of Daniel.

Daniel was one of the most original, unique characters that I've ever "met" through a novel. I'm not sure what to make of him because I do think he was crazy (or at least unstable), but I have to say that I still liked him. He lies and manipulates his way through life to become a character in someone's novel; and he eventually becomes so caught up in his quest to be a major role that he loses grip on his own reality. This novel gives the reader a fascinating look into the Daniel's mind, and you just feel so lucky to be along for the ride!

BEING WRITTEN is Mr. Conescu's first novel (he has written many short stories), and it's a very impressive debut. I was blown away by not only the plot but his ability to tell the story too. I absolutely love that each chapter is written from a different characters' point of view -- it allowed me to really get to know each one of them. What makes this book special is that all of the characters, except Daniel, are written in third person. Daniel's chapters are written in second person, and I thought this technique is what make this book so incredibly well written. By having Daniel referring to himself as you, the author allows the reader to feel as if they are part of the action. It also gave Daniel's chapters a level of intensity that set them apart from the rest of the book.

BEING WRITTEN is an excellent book to discuss. In fact after I finished, I immediately wanted to talk about it with someone. I couldn't get over the Daniel character, and I was just dying to talk about the novel's ending! It has been days since I've finished BEING WRITTEN, and I still can't stop thinking about it -- to me, that's a sign of a really good book. What's even better is that the more I think about this novel, the deeper I realize it is. This book is just so good on so many different levels. There is a reading guide available which should definitely encourage conversation and help to keep your discussion on track.

Make sure you come back tomorrow because Mr. Conescu will be answering a few of my questions. In addition, he might have a little surprise for you!

Also reviewed at:
Age 30+...A Lifetime in Books

Review: Knit Two

Summary: Knit Two returns to the Manhattan knitting store Walker & Daughter five years after the death of the store's owner, Georgia Walker. Georgia's daughter Dakota is now an 18 year old freshman at NYU, running the knitting store part-time with the help of the members of the Friday Night Knitting Club. Drawn together by their love for Dakota and the sense of family the club provides, each knitter is struggling with new challenges: for Catherine, finding love after divorce, for Darwin, newborn twins, for Lucie, being both a single mom and caregiver for her elderly mother, and for seventysomething Anita, marriage to her sweetheart Marty over the objections of her grown children.

As Kate Jacobs returns to the world of Walker & Daughter, she's once again keyed into many of the stresses and joys of being a mother, wife, daughter and friend. Every woman who picks up this book will see themselves in its characters—the very thing that made The Friday Night Knitting Club such a huge word-of-mouth success. A true love letter to the power of women's friendships, and, of course, knitting, Knit Two is entertainment with a heart. -- Putnam

I know I'm not alone in saying that I really enjoyed THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB by Kate Jacobs, and I have been anxiously awaiting a sequel. Fortunately, I received an ARC of KNIT TWO a few weeks ago, and I absolutely devoured it. Not that I like to judge a book by its cover, but the cover artwork is just beautiful (especially if you love touching, feeling and buying yarn like I do.) I had pretty high hopes for this book so it's a good thing that it lived up to my expectations.

If you enjoyed THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB and the characters in that book, then you will certainly want to read KNIT TWO. Ms. Jacobs' newest novel has the same cast of characters as her first one; however, this book picks takes place five years later. It will only take a few pages until you are once again caught up in the characters' lives (as well as their troubles.) Even though the book takes place five years after Georgia's death, each of the women is facing different challenges in her life. While the characters for the most part are more mature, many are still struggling with issues that women everywhere face like motherhood, family problems, career choices, marriage, etc. They all seem a little lost without the guidance of Georgia, but they eventually find their way with each other's support.

While all of the characters in THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB were brought together by their friendship with Georgia, in KNIT TWO many of them have remained friends because of their relationship with Georgia's daughter Dakota. Each of the women had a very special role in Dakota's life, and they all tried to fill the void left after Georgia died. I think it's so special that Ms. Jacobs has created characters who are so diverse and different from each other whether it be age, race, social standing, marital status, career choice, etc. She highlights that ultimately these differences don't matter -- what's important is being there for a friend.

One thing I especially enjoyed about KNIT TWO was that some of the characters travelled to Italy. I love all things Italian (especially the food) and am dying to visit there some day. I thought Ms. Jacobs' descriptions were very vivid and captured the essence of Italy. For many of the characters, the trip to Italy helped them put their lives into perspective and eventually gave them the insight they needed to resolve their issues.

While I didn't find myself crying at the end KNIT TWO like I did during THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB, I was still deeply touched by the ending. There is a surprise near the end of the book (which is definitely not as sad as when Georgia died from ovarian cancer in the first novel) that affected me a great deal. My heart went out to all of the characters, yet I loved how the tragedy in this story eventually pulled them together. Similar to THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB, KNIT TWO showed how incredibly strong and resilient women are; and it demonstrated the powerful bond between all types and all ages of women. I liked that the characters discovered important things about themselves, and I thought the book ended on a very hopeful note.

I absolutely adore Kate Jacobs and all three of her books. Not only have I loved both THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB AND KNIT TWO, but I also enjoyed her other novel COMFORT FOOD (you can read my review here.) Last April, I was fortunate enough to interview Ms. Jacobs when COMFORT FOOD was released. She is extremely gracious and also a big supporter of book clubs. She makes herself readily available for telephone chats, and she's even running a contest right now where Ms. Jacobs will visit to your book club in person. If you are interested in learning more about Ms. Jacobs, check out this new interview with her. In addition, she is doing a pretty big book tour; and she might be coming to a city near you.

KNIT TWO would make a wonderful book club selection, especially if your group has already read THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB. Ms. Jacobs manages to capture the essence of women so beautifully, and I think we all can relate a little to the characters in her books. There is a wonderful reading guide available if you're like my club and kind of "need" questions to keep your discussion on track.

KNIT TWO is available today so make sure you keep this book in mind for the holiday season. It will make a great gift for any special woman in your life, especially if she loves books or knitting. In fact, the book includes a simple knitting pattern for the Georgia Afghan that I am just dying to make! Take a look at the first chapter and I know you'll be immediately drawn in just like I was.

Review: Confetti Cakes for Kids & Giveaway

Summary: Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes has created confections as elaborate as a platter of sushi, a wine bottle in a crate, and a designer handbag. Now she focuses her talents on her younger fans with this enchanting collection of cakes, cookies, and cupcakes for kids. Strauss starts readers off with 20 delicious recipes and all the basic techniques needed to complete any project in the book. Then she offers step-by-step instructions for 24 jaw-dropping designs that can become the centerpiece of any celebration. Projects span the imagination--from a charming sock monkey, to an MP3 player, to playful hula gingerbread girls and boys--and will appeal to anyone looking for the perfect way to thrill a child with a delectable, spectacular creation. -- Little, Brown and Company

CONFETTI CAKES FOR KIDS by Elisa Strauss is one of the most incredible cookbooks that I've ever seen. I'm not sure if it's more like a cookbook or a work of art! My friend and I like to decorate cookies and cakes so I thought this cookbook might give us a few ideas. Well, I did get a lot of ideas from this book. I'm not sure that I could actually make anything in here except for a few lollipop cookies, but this book is gorgeous (and so fun to look at!)

It's hard to pick which cake, cupcake or cookie is my favorite because they are so many adorable ones. While most of the cakes are geared towards kids, a few of the patterns would work for anyone like the Christmas ornament cupcakes or Quinceanera Cake which could definitely double as a wedding cake. I love all of the animal and pajama party cut-out cookies (which I could probably make), but I think my very favorite work-of-art is the sock monkey cake -- it is just precious!

All of the cakes/cookies creations include step-by-step recipes as well as very detailed instructions on how to assemble and decorate them. I could probably bake them and mix the icing, but trust me when I say that these cakes are not for beginners. I am just blown away by Elisa Strauss, the cake designer and author of this book. I absolutely love her website (and her blog) and could spend hours on both of them. Make sure you take a look to get an idea of her amazing cake designs.

I think CONFETTI CAKES FOR KIDS would make a wonderful gift for anyone in your life who enjoys decorating cakes and cookies (or really even anyone with kids.) And guess what? I am going to giveaway up to five copies of CONFETTI CAKES FOR KIDS courtesy of Hachette Book Group USA. For one entry, all you have to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address. For two entries, just blog about this contest with a link back to this post. I will give away one book for every 10 entries that I receive, so it definitely benefits you to tell everyone about this contest. The contest will be open until Tuesday, December 9th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winners the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only (no P.O. boxes.) Good Luck!

Guest Blogger: Diana Spechler

Yesterday, I posted a review about a wonderful new novel WHO BY FIRE by Diana Spechler. I adored this book, so you can imagine how excited I am that Ms. Spechler agreed to write a guest post for me about her favorite book!

Since my first novel hit the shelves in September, a lot of people have asked me, reasonably enough, “What’s your favorite book?” Unfortunately, whenever anyone asks, particularly if it’s during a Q&A and I’m in front of an audience, sweaty microphone in sweaty palm, I draw a blank.

What is my favorite book? Have I ever read a book? I can envision my book shelves, but I can’t see what’s on them. I can envision myself curled up on countless couches, stretched out on countless lounge chairs, sitting in countless trains, holding countless paperbacks, but when I squint to see the titles, they are invisible. So then a battle rages in my head:

“I should just say Middlesex.”

“No, don’t say that. It’s an Oprah book.”

“So? People love Oprah.”

“Say Ulysses.”

“I’ll sound pretentious.”

“On The Road?”

“You never finished On The Road. And isn’t On The Road what people who don’t read say when they want to sound like they read? Then they always go, ‘I’m really into the Beats,’ but they don’t know who the Beats are and neither do you.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Barely.”

“Ginsberg.”

“As if you’ve read Ginsberg.”

“Fine…The Poisonwood Bible.”

“Oprah book.”

“Shut up. It was not.”

“It totally was.”

“I am freaking out. No, I am seriously freaking out. Can I say The Other Boleyn Girl?”

“Are you joking? Tell me you’re joking.”

“Lolita?”

“Sure. If you want everyone to wonder if you’re a pervert. Then you should say that thing you always say when you start talking about Lolita. About how you found yourself cheering for a child molester, and that’s how you knew Nabokov was a master. That’ll win your crowd over. That will be totally awesome.”

“The Unbearable Lightness of Being?”

“You couldn’t even get through it.”

“Everyone likes The Unbearable Lightness of Being.”

“Except you. Stop it.”

“Catcher In The Rye?”

“Are you fourteen?”

“The Great Gatsby?”

“Are you fifteen?”

“Wuthering Heights?”

“Are you a hundred? And when the hell did you read Wuthering Heights?”

“Should I just plug one of my friends’ novels?...Oh, god, this is awful. What about Prep? Can I say Prep?”

“If you want to sound frivolous.”

“Prep’s not frivolous.”

“But some people just know the cover. That J. Crew belt. Can’t you come up with anything that wasn’t a best-seller?”

“Um…was Night a best-seller?”

“You are kidding. You are not serious. Who picks a Holocaust memoir as her favorite book? Are you insane? Besides. Oprah book.”

At this point, after the long, uncomfortable pause for which I am one hundred percent to blame, I usually wind up saying, “What is my favorite book? Have I ever read a book?”

Then everyone laughs to be nice, but they’re obviously a little disappointed, especially the person who asked the question and wanted a straight answer, and then I go home and think,
“I’m going to come up with a stock response to this question. I have to come up with a stock response to this question.”

But so far, I haven’t.

I absolutely laughed out loud when I read this because it's so true! I'm one of those people who are always asking this question (to authors, bloggers, friends, etc.). Even though I always want to know everyone's favorite book, I'm always struggling to come up with one of my own. I usually say TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD; and while it's a terrific book, I'm afraid that I don't sound very original!

A big thanks goes out to Diana Spechler for taking time from her very busy schedule to stop by Booking Mama!

Review: Who By Fire

Summary: Bits and Ash were children when the kidnapping of their younger sister, Alena—an incident for which Ash blames himself—caused an irreparable family rift. Thirteen years later, Ash is living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel, cutting himself off from his mother, Ellie, and his wild-child sister, Bits. But soon he may have to face them again; Alena's remains have finally been uncovered. Now Bits is traveling across the world in a bold and desperate attempt to bring her brother home and salvage what's left of their family.

Sharp and captivating, Who by Fire deftly explores what happens when people try to rescue one another. -- Harper Perennial

When Book Club Girl announced that her Blog Talk Radio show guest for November would be Diana Spechler, author of WHO BY FIRE, I was so excited. Based on the description of this novel, I thought it sounded exactly like something I would like. I am always drawn to stories about families and how they cope with loss. It's probably because the feeling of loss is something that I haven't experienced very often or in a major way -- I guess I'm lucky in that aspect. All I know is that I love reading these types of books and seeing how different families cope.

I found WHO BY FIRE to be a wonderful novel. I love how the author chose to write this story -- each chapter was told in first person narrative by three different family members. I thought Ms. Spechler did a great job making each voice distinct, and I felt as if I got to know (and understand) each character. She also did an amazing job of showing how a family tragedy affects each and every family member not only in the short term, but the effect it has on them for the rest of their lives. In my opinion, the way she wrote about each person's grief and guilt just seemed so realistic.

I was just completely absorbed in this novel from the time I picked it up. Ms. Spechler's prose is very smooth and easy-to-read, yet very powerful. The characters were so interesting to me as were their interactions (or lack thereof.) I think another reason I enjoyed this book so much was because it was about a new subject matter for me -- the Orthodox Jewish religion. I found Ash's chapters to be fascinating, especially when he described his prayer rituals and his beliefs. It's apparent that Ms. Spechler did a huge amount of research to get these chapters "just right."

I thought WHO BY FIRE had a terrific premise for a book, and I was very drawn into the characters' feelings and their stories. Based on those things, I would have thought that WHO BY FIRE was a wonderful book; however, this novel had a few twists and turns that made me really appreciate it. I take pride in being a pretty perceptive reader, but I have to admit that I was totally caught off guard by a couple of things. That the author was able to write a book with such a great storyline and rich characters, and then on top of that have a surprise ending, made this book a very entertaining and thought-provoking read.

Thursday night's radio show was so much fun. Once again, Book Club Girl did an amazing job of moderating the interview. If you aren't familiar with her radio shows, you really need to tune in. I have found that they really enhance my reading experience; and the discussion with Ms. Spechler was no exception -- Ms. Spechler was so interesting and open about her novel. As part of her research for writing this book, she traveled to Israel and even visited some yeshivas. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy listening to her talk about the Jewish faith, but I also found it interesting to hear her discuss her writing process and her characters. Make sure you take a listen, but I have to warn you that you might want to read the book first (there is a little spoiler.)

You should definitely consider WHO BY FIRE for a future book club discussion. I think any talk around this novel would be fascinating. There are so many wonderful themes to talk about such as dysfunctional families, the effects a tragedy has on individual family members, religious preferences, and especially guilt and redemption. There is a reading guide available which offers some great talking points.

Come back tomorrow because Ms. Spechler will be stopping by with a great guest post!

Hello...You Won Gods Behaving Badly

Thanks to everyone for entering. Because of the number of entries I received, I can giveaway three copies of GOD BEHAVING BADLY.

And the winners are:

Linda

Annie

Becca

I can't wait to read this book -- it looks terrific! Please mark your calendars for a live chat with the author of GODS BEHAVING BADLY, Marie Phillips on Blog Talk Radio on December 1st at 1:00. You can call (646) 378-0040 to ask your questions, or you can listen to the show here.

Guest Blogger: Christine Son

I hope that many of you read my review of OFF THE MENU yesterday. It is a wonderful book about female relationships and discovering one's passions. I am so excited that Christine Son agreed to stop by today and tell us a little more about herself. I think you'll agree that her essay shows not only her wonderful sense of humor but also a glimpse of her terrific writing.

How Hard Can It Be?

Some years ago, my husband and I were lounging around in the family room of our first home, which was wood-paneled in a hideous shade of Eighties dirty dirt brown. We’d been living there for over three years and had complained every day about how dated the house was, and that Saturday morning, I suggested that we strip the walls and restain them with a more genteel mahogany (because nothing says warm and inviting like dark, cave-like walls). “How hard can it be?” I asked. “I bet we can knock this baby out in a weekend.” Cheered by my optimism, my husband and I ran to Home Depot, were advised that varnish was the best solution to remove wood stain, bought two gallons of the poison and then went home, excited to renovate the three hundred square foot room. Two hours later, we both had massive headaches and were completely disoriented from the fumes, and this was after we’d opened every window in the house. The varnish didn’t work, and to our dismay, we now had a gaping section of lighter dirty dirt brown wall. We couldn’t restain the wall to the original color because we had no idea what it was, and we couldn’t add another stain over the original hue. So, we decided to paint the entire room a Pottery Barn pale yellow, which was perfect, considering that our family room was page 59 of the catalog (interior design is neither of our fortes). We returned to Home Depot, selected the color, bought five gallons of paint, and then went for Round Two, to which I said, “How hard can this be? I bet we can knock this baby out by the end of the weekend.”

Three weeks later, we were almost finished.

Six weeks later, the room was beautiful.

It took forever to paint because the room was twelve feet high with an obscene amount of wainscoting, picture framing and crown molding. It also took forever because both of us were working thirteen hours a day and were painting whenever we weren’t at the office. One would think that I’d learned my lesson. But several months later, a friend of ours asked us to help him move. And as I am now notoriously known to do, I asked, “How hard can it be? I bet we can knock this out in three hours.” Of course, we didn’t.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a cheerfully confident—and borderline delusional—outlook on projects and goals. And I’d always harbored a desire to write, even when I majored in Biology and French, when I pursued a medical career, when I went to law school, and then when I worked at a law firm. The one passion that nagged at me constantly, I put aside in favor of “real life.” Then one morning, I was sitting cross-legged on the floor of a Barnes & Noble, reading a book, and I thought, “I’ve wanted to do this for so long. What am I waiting for? I mean, how hard can it be?”

So I did it. Got a laptop and started writing. And discovered that it was damned hard to write a novel. And that it was even harder to become published. I had done my research. I knew how slim my chances of publication were. But I kept at it until I finished my first book. And I kept at it when it didn’t sell. I kept at it when my days had become so long that I couldn’t tell when one ended and the next started. But like the family room, I couldn’t stop writing. For every “I don’t think I can do this anymore” thought I had, I had two of, “but I still love it.” I took a step back and listened to my environment, to the complaints my friends had about their own career trajectories. I discovered that we were all in the same boat, wondering how our lives had turned out the way they had when our passions were elsewhere. We talked about it so much that it became the backbone of OFF THE MENU, that conflict of living up to everyone’s expectations while hiding the love of our existences. And because it was so close to my heart, the subject grew organically into an entire novel.

After several iterations, the book sold to NAL/Penguin. I was nearly manic with joy. I don’t have children, but I imagine that the exuberance I felt is not unlike childbirth, when one forgets the pain and hardship and difficulties and long nights and debilitating self-doubt the very instant her agent says those magic words—“they love it. They want to buy it.”

So that’s the lesson we can all take away from my experience. It wasn’t because I was so awesome that I was able to make it in an insanely difficult industry. It was that I continued writing, even when it seemed like everyone in the world was saying “no.” And now, I feel like I’m living my dream. I’m working on my second novel on nights and weekends and holidays (I still have a day job that takes up a good bit of my time). And as I muddle my way through the manuscript, often wondering if it’s any good, if it even makes any sense, I find myself saying what I’ve always said: “Come on Christine, you can do it. I mean, how hard can it be?”

A big thanks goes out to Christine Son for taking time out of her very busy schedule to stop by!

Christine Son graduated from the University of Texas and Duke University School of Law. She works as corporate counsel for a Fortune 500 company in Dallas, Texas, where she lives with her husband. OFF THE MENU is her first novel.

Review: Off the Menu

Summary: An extraordinary debut about second-generation Asian-American women trying to live up to society’s high standards, as well as their own.

Even though it’s been ten years since their Houston high school days, co-valedictorians and best friends Whitney Lee, Hercules Huang, and Audrey Henley still delight in their once-a-month get-togethers where they talk, laugh, and confide in each other— although not about everything. Because each young woman has a deep, dark secret they think they could never share. Not even with their best friends. Then, during a girls’ weekend getaway, these three friends wind up revealing their most intimate truths—and realize that to get straight As in the real world, all you have to do is let go of the need to be perfect… -- New American Library

I know this definitely isn't the best way to pick a book to read, but I have to admit that I absolutely adored the cover of OFF THE MENU by Christine Son. I love the flowers and the heart-shaped chocolate candy -- it just made me want to read the book. Fortunately for me not only was the cover gorgeous, but the book was very good too!

While at first glance I thought I didn't have much in common with the characters in OFF THE MENU, I definitely felt that this story resonated with me. Maybe not with my current 39 year old self who is a stay-at-home mom, but somehow I found myself relating to each of these three women. No, I'm not Asian-American or in my late 20s/early 30s or even totally career oriented anymore, but I could understand the feelings of these three characters -- I always want to be perfect and never disappoint anyone. While I don't think I ever quite experienced the pressure that they felt (especially from their parents -- mine was more self-imposed), I still think Whitney's, Hercules' and Audrey's feelings are universal among today's society of women. And, I think that's exactly why so many women are going to love this book!

I was a little disheartened at the beginning of the novel that these three long-time best friends still managed to keep so many big secrets from each other. But when I thought about it, I thought it was very realistic portrayal of some friends; and I could actually relate to this part of the story too. I am not always entirely open with all of my friends. (I'm not saying that I lie because I definitely don't. It's just that I don't always share a lot of my feelings.) I'm sure a therapist would have a field day with this, but I'm guessing that it probably has something to do with my insecurities. I seriously doubt that I'm alone with these feelings. -- we women do have an image to uphold.

One thing I loved about this book was the character of Jimmy. I thought it was terrific how Ms. Son introduced him (in all his splendor) to make the women realize how special they were. While I was enjoying the book and the characters, I really began to "get into" the story when the women were taking a road trip to Austin and Jimmy came along for the ride. Jimmy could sense things about each woman -- he actually saw their auras. I think it was very important to these women, especially Whitney, that someone saw through the image that they worked so hard to present. This definitely was the turning point of the novel for me. One part that I really loved was when Jimmy said that colors of each of the women made up a part of a rainbow. I just thought that was such a beautiful idea -- that friends all bring something to the relationship to make it complete. After talking with Jimmy, all of the girls started to admit to themselves (and each other) what they wanted out of life; and they gathered the courage to start working towards their goals.

I also enjoyed how the author portrayed the complexities of being an Asian American women in today's society. Personally, I don't have any experience with this (either myself or any of my friends), but I thought the characters' feelings and behavior seemed very realistic. Ms. Son did an excellent job of showing how they struggled to be part of their parents' culture and, at the same time, be part of the American culture. It seems like an extremely difficult balancing act, and I can imagine that it's very hard for them to feel like they fit comfortably into either culture.

OFF THE MENU is Ms. Son's first novel. I think her background is fascinating, and there's no doubt that much of this novel was written using her personal experiences and feelings. This book was extremely easy to read and flowed very well. I thought she did an excellent job with developing the characters and allowing the reader to really "know"them. I think Ms. Son definitely has a bright future as a writer, and Ilook forward to her next book.

I think OFF THE MENU would make a wonderful book club selection. While I think my book club is a little older and at a different point in our lives than the three main characters, I still think we'd have a lot to talk about. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who would feel an affinity with these women. There are many themes to discuss such as parent/child relationships, friendships, dating and romance, career choices, and finding one's self. There is a terrific interview with the author in the back of the novel as well as wonderful discussion questions.

A big thanks goes out to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to participate in this book tour! Make sure you come back tomorrow because Ms. Son will be stopping by!

Christine Son’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Saturday, November 1st: Estella’s Revenge e-zine (author interview)
Monday, November 3rd: Literarily (author guest post and giveaway!)
Wednesday, November 5th: Beastmomma (author interview)
Thursday, November 6th: Book Nut
Friday, November 7th: Ramya’s Bookshelf
Friday, November 7th: Ramya’s Bookshelf (author interview)
Monday, November 10th: Pop Culture Junkie
Tuesday, November 11th: 8Asians
Wednesday, November 12th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Thursday, November 13th: In The Pages
Friday, November 14th: She is Too Fond of Books
Monday, November 17th: Planet Books
Tuesday, November 18th: B & B ex Libris
Wednesday, November 19th: DISGRASIAN
Thursday, November 20th: Booking Mama
Monday, November 24th: The Literate Housewife Review
Tuesday, November 25th: Feminist Review

Review: Katie Brown Celebrates & Giveaway

Summary: In KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES, Katie gives readers a reason to host a party every month of the year. From a festive New Year's Eve dinner to a lavish Christmas brunch, from the perfect child's birthday party to a down-home family reunion, readers will delight in Katie's signature approach to making any celebration simply wonderful. With delicious recipes, straightforward craft projects, and tips for casual entertaining, Katie shows how any host can make a delicious meal and create gorgeous ambiance without the hassle. KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES is a must-have for anyone who ever gives--or has ever thought of giving--a party. -- Little, Brown and Company

Hello, my name is Julie and I'm a cookbook addict. I absolutely adore cookbooks; and you might even say that I collect them. It's not that I'm a big-time cook or anything, but I love looking at recipes and pictures of food. I think it's genetic because my 86 year old grandmother still enjoys looking through cookbooks too! We will even sit together and go through separate cookbooks talking about what looks good (and easy!)

Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to look through KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES: SIMPLE AND SPECTACULAR PARTIES ALL YEAR ROUND. I will admit that I haven't tried any of the recipes (yet), but this cookbook is beautiful. I just keep looking through it, and I notice something new every single time. Trust me when I say that this book will make a wonderful gift for your favorite entertainer this holiday season.

I'm not sure where to start in describing this cookbook! The photography and colors are just beautiful. It really looks like a book you could display on your coffee table. The cookbook is divided into sections for each month with instructions and recipes for a specific party theme. For example, January is "A New Year's Evening," April is a "Kids' Day," and December is a "Holiday Brunch." There a a type of party for every occasion you can think of!

Not only are there yummy recipes for you to make for each festivity, but there are also loads of decoration ideas. What I love most about this book is that everything seems pretty simple, yet it will look like you spent a ton of time (and a ton of money) on your event. We've all thrown parties where we are so tired and busy that we can't even enjoy the party -- I think KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES will help eliminate that problem. The decorations are so unique and do-able and the recipes are super easy and made with normal (translatation: easy-to-find) ingredients.

Now for the fun part: I am going to be giving away up to five copies of KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES courtesy of Hachette Book Group USA! For every ten entries I receive, I will give away one cookbook. For example, 10 entries = 1 cookbook, 20 entries = 2 cookbooks, etc. up to 5 cookbooks. All you have to do is leave a comment (with your e-mail) telling me why you want this cookbook -- it shouldn't be very hard! To double your chances, blog about this contest with a link back to this post. The contest will be open until Friday, December 5th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winners on the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only (and no P.O. boxes.) Good Luck!

Awesome Giveaway from Novel Adventures

I am just thrilled to announce my latest giveaway -- it's my biggest one ever! Many of you are probably familiar with CBS.com's new webcast entitled Novel Adventures. If not, you should definitely check out the latest episode.

Here's a little more about the show:
Lizzie, Laura, Joanna, and Amy are decidedly uninterested in the pretentious book club they belong to, but they enjoy the time away from their families. Determined to take their 'us'-time and enjoy it, they decide to use the books as inspiration. It's great to read about amazing lives, but these girls are ready to live them.

And so, the four women start a new kind of book club, picking a "novel adventure" for each book. Each meeting is an opportunity for discovery, freedom, and fun. The adventure is just the beginning.

The novels explored in the web series include the following:

The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)











Girls Like Us (Sheila Weller)











The Bourne Trilogy (Robert Ludlum)











Monster of Florence (Douglas Preston)











The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry (Kathleen Flinn)











Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)











Life So Far (Betty Friedan)











The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows)









Knit Two (Kate Jacobs)











One very lucky person will win all nine books! What a great holiday gift for someone or even a wonderful treat for you!

A huge thanks goes out to CBS and Novel Adventures for providing the books for this contest. If you'd like to win all nine of these books, please leave a comment saying which episode is your favorite so far. To double your chances, blog about this contest with a link back to this post. I will be taking entries until Tuesday, December 2nd at 11:59 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced the following day. This contest is limited to domestic shipping only. Good Luck!

Review: The Memorist & Giveaway

Summary: The dreads are back. As a child, Meers Logan was haunted by memories of another time and place, always accompanied by the faint strains of elusive music. Now the hand of the past has reached out again. An envelope addressed to her and delivered to the Phoenix Foundation—an institute dedicated to the recovery of past life memories—contains a childhood drawing of an elaborate box that Meers recognizes…and a sheet from an auction catalog identifying the object—which she spent years imagining— as an eighteenth-century gaming box.

Determined to unlock the mystery of who she once was, she travels to Vienna to find the box. With each step, she comes closer to remembering the connections between a clandestine reincarnationist society, the lost Memory Flute linked to Ludwig van Beethoven and rumored to open the door to the past, and to David Yalom, a journalist who knows all too well how the past affects the future. -- Mira Books

Over the summer, I read THE REINCARNATIONIST by M.J. Rose for my book club. I thoroughly enjoyed the book (see my review) as did my entire book club. We were also extremely fortunate that Ms. Rose agreed to join us via speakerphone for our discussion -- you can read a summary of our meeting here. When we were talking to here, she told us about her next novel in THE REINCARNATIONIST series entitled THE MEMORIST. My entire book club was excited to hear that she was writing more books about reincarnation, and we have been anxiously awaiting the publication of this novel ever since. You can imagine how excited I was when I was selected to be a part of the TLC Book Tour for THE MEMORIST.

While I really enjoyed THE REINCARNATIONIST, I liked THE MEMORIST even more. It was an exciting, suspense-filled novel that was also filled with lots of terrific historical information. As I read through the reviews for this book, I see that I'm not alone with my praise. People Magazine selected THE MEMORIST as its Pick of the Week; and the book also received Starred Reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal.

This book and its characters captured me from the very beginning. I liked how Ms. Rose had Meer actually question and even doubt the reasons behind her memories, and I enjoyed being "along" with her as she discovered things about her past. It was nice to see the return of a few characters from the first novel, Malachai (the head of the Phoenix Foundation) and Lucien (the cop who is trying to prove his involvement in a crime.) While the books were very different and had different main characters, I liked how there was some continuity between them. I can't wait to read the next novels in this series as new characters try to find various memory tools -- I think it's a great concept.

One thing I really enjoyed about this novel (and THE REINCARNATIONIST) is that Ms. Rose isn't afraid to "kill off" major characters for the purpose of moving the plot. I have to admit that I did get upset over the loss of a character or two in the novels, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. In addition, I loved how the chapters were all very short, but very intense. I think the style of the brief chapters made it difficult for me to put the book down because I kept telling myself that I would read just a few more pages. Ms. Rose knows how to tell a story and take the reader along on a wonderful ride!

Another thing I really appreciated in THE MEMORIST was the historical facts that Ms. Rose wove into the story. I could totally visualize Vienna and felt like I was almost there with her vivid and detailed descriptions. I thought her choice of quotations by famous people like Tolstoy, Balzac, and Julius Caesar on the possibility of reincarnation were very interesting and added a great deal to the story. I also loved how she wove Beethoven and his beliefs about reincarnation into the story. I found the idea of binaural beats just fascinating -- that notes played a certain way could stimulate past memories. It is so clear that Ms. Rose did an incredible amount of research while writing this novel; and I think many readers will begin to examine his or her own beliefs about reincarnation.

Not only do I think Ms. Rose is a very gifted writer, but I am also amazed with her ability to "multi-task." She is just a fascinating (and very sharp) woman; and I was fortunate enough to ask her a few questions back in June -- you can read my interview here. In addition to her writing, she also continues to use her skills as a marketing professional. She realized how difficult it is for authors to "market" their own books and has created the following to assist them:

+ AuthorBuzz.com (Including AuthorBuzz & BookClubbing)
Reaches 330,000 readers, 10,000 librarians, 7000 bookclubs & 2500 booksellers.
http://www.authorbuzz.com/

+ Great American Book Giveaway
Pre-publication buzz to readers
http://www.bkgiveaway.com/

+ Buzz, Balls & Hype
A blog about marketing and the business of publishing.
http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype/

+ Backstory
A blog for authors to post what inspired their current novel.
http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/backstory/

+Buzz Your Book – The Class
Where authors learn the basics of buzz. 6 weeks online. http://www.writersweekly.com/wwu/courses/marketing.html

+Buzz Your Book – The book - co-authored with Douglas Clegg
A work book for authors to learn the basics of buzz.
Amazon.com

I do think THE MEMORIST would make a wonderful book for your next book club. There are so many themes to discuss, especially everyone's thoughts about the possibility of reincarnation. If the members of your book club are big readers, it would be really fun to read both THE REINCARNATIONIST AND THE MEMORIST and talk about both books. Check out the discussion guide for THE MEMORIST to get an idea of the types of things you could discuss.

A big thanks goes out to TLC Book Tours for providing me with the opportunity to read and review THE MEMORIST. You can catch the other stops of the THE MEMORIST Blog Tour:

Monday, October 27th: Fantasy Book Critic
Tuesday, October 28th: The Compulsive Reader
Wednesday, October 29th: The Book Bitch
Tuesday, November 4th: Bloody Hell!
Friday, November 7th: Fizzy Thoughts
Monday, November 10th: Devourer of Books
Wednesday, November 12th: Bookstack
Thursday, November 13th: The Inside Cover
Monday, November 17th: Booking Mama
Tuesday, November 18th: Books I Done Read
Wednesday, November 19th: Diary of an Eccentric
Thursday, November 20th: MommyPie
Monday, November 24th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
Friday, November 31st: Frequency of Silence

I just happen to have two sets of M.J. Rose's THE REINCARNATIONIST (paperback) and THE MEMORIST (hardcover) to share with two lucky readers! To enter the contest, please leave a comment, with your e-mail address, telling me whether you believe in reincarnation or not. If you'd like to double your chances, please blog about this contest with a link back to this post. The contest will be open until Friday, November 28th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winners the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only. Good luck!

Guest Blogger: Jayne Pupek

Yesterday, I reviewed a touching new novel called TOMATO GIRL by Jayne Pupek. I asked Ms. Pupek to stop by today and share something special with us. I was positively delighted that she wrote about some of her favorite fall recipes. I love discovering new recipes, and these ones look terrific (and they're just in time for Thanksgiving.)

Folks who know me would characterize me as a CNN junkie, but I also tune into the Food Network when I have the chance. The following recipes are among my fall favorites. The first is a Rachel Ray recipe, "Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage." This dish is so easy to make and tastes amazing. Since I don't eat pork or beef, I use a soy-based "fake" sausage and substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock. The "Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion" is the perfect accompaniment. I like to serve red wine with this meal.

And for dessert, what could beat Paula Deen's "Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting?" As a girl, I looked forward to Christmas dinner at my Grandma Arbutus' house where the red velvet cake was my favorite. Cupcakes make a nice alternative and are easier to make, I think. Paula Deen is the queen of Southern Cuisine. I gave my mother one of her cookbooks last year for Christmas.

I hope you enjoy these!

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating
Pumpernickel or whole grain bread, as an accompaniment

Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion, as an accompaniment, recipe follows

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Serve pumpkin sausage pasta with pumpernickel or whole grain bread and Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion.

Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion

1 pound triple-washed spinach, de-stemmed
1 small Golden Delicious apple, quartered, cored, and sliced
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons (a couple of splashes) apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grain mustard
1 tablespoon (a good drizzle) honey
Coarse salt and black pepper

Place spinach, apple, and onion in a salad bowl. Place oil, vinegar, mustard and honey in a small plastic container and fit lid on container. Shake dressing to combine, 1 minute. Pour dressing over salad, toss, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Yield: 4 servings

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Jayne Pupek is the author of the novel, Tomato Girl (Algonquin Books), and a book of poems titled Forms of Intercession (Mayapple Press). She resides near Richmond, Virginia.
Jayne's web site: www.jaynepupek.com
Book Trailer for Tomato Girl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-foLb0HIWc

Review: Tomato Girl

Summary: For eleven-year-old Ellie Sanders, her father has always been the rock that she could cling to when her mother's emotional troubles became too frightening. But when he comes under the thrall of the pretty teenager who raises vegetables and tomatoes for sale at the general store that he runs, Ellie sees her security slowly slipping away. Now she must be witness and warden to her mother's gradual slide into madness.

Told from Ellie's point of view, Tomato Girl takes the reader into the soul of a terrified young girl clinging desperately to childhood while being forced into adulthood years before she is ready. To save herself, she creates a secret world, a place in which her mother gets well, her father returns to being the man he was, and the Tomato Girl is banished forever. Tomato Girl marks the debut of a gifted and promising new author who has written a timeless Southern novel. -- Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

I have seen great reviews for TOMATO GIRL by Jayne Pupek on a number of blogs the past few weeks. I was just thrilled when Ms. Pupek contacted me about reading her novel. I have always been drawn to books about young girls, and I especially love when they are written in first person narrative. I knew when I started this book that it was not going to be an easy read or a very happy subject matter, but I still thought it sounded so good!

Well, TOMATO GIRL was a very good book and I really enjoyed reading it; but I admit that I hesitate to use the word "enjoy" when talking about this novel -- it is one of the saddest stories that I've ever read. But don't let that deter you from reading this beautiful novel because I think you will ultimately end up loving it. It is a wonderful story about a very special (and resilient) young girl. In fact, I actually felt uplifted and very hopeful when I finished this novel.

I think that even the most stoic reader can't help but be affected by the story of Ellie and her family. However, as a mother of a young girl, I was particularly disturbed. I know that I do everything in my power to protect my daughter from pain (sometimes too much so), but I can't imagine a little girl growing up in the environment that Ellie did. Her mother was mentally unstable; and her father just couldn't cope any longer. He ends up falling in love with the "Tomato Girl" and bringing her into their already dysfunctional home. My heart just went out to Ellie because she loved both of her parents so much, and they were constantly letting her down. She always felt that she had to protect her parents. (Often times, she was forced into taking care of her mother instead of the other way around or hiding things about her father.) As a result, she had to grow up way too fast. I just felt sick about the constant guilt that Ellie had to carry around because of her parents.

I really started enjoying the book when the character of Clara entered the picture. There is a reference to Clara on the first page of the book, but the reader doesn't really get to know her until about two thirds of the way through the book. Clara is an African American woman who knows "magic" and can heal people. Ellie wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the black part of town, but she finds herself needing to visit Clara and her husband. Ellie found much-needed comfort and love in their house, and Clara even managed to do some healing (both physical and mental.) I just loved Clara and Ellie's relationship!

Ms. Pupek was a former social worker, so I'm sure she's seen a lot of horrific family situations. It saddens me to wonder how much, if any, of this novel was based on actual events. Based on reality or not, Ms. Pupek did an excellent job of describing Ellie's feelings and creating sympathy for her from the reader. I also think Ms. Pupek described the abuse and mental illness sides of the story extremely well. I especially appreciated how she conveyed Ellie's guilt about her parents' behavior and how Ellie was forced to take on their problems as her own.

This book would make an excellent book club discussion book. My book club has read a few books like this, and we all enjoyed them a great deal. There are so many themes to discuss including mother/daughter relationships, mental illness, abuse, adultery, escapism, etc. Even though the subject matter is depressing, there is also something very endearing about Ellie and her resilience. Click here for the discussion questions -- they are excellent! As some further enticement, check out the book trailer:



Make sure you come back tomorrow because Jayne Pupek will be stopping by. She's going to share some of her favorite recipes with you just in time for the holidays!

Hello...You Won The Heretic Queen

And the winners of the signed copies of THE HERETIC QUEEN by Michelle Moran are:

darbyscloset and Mom of 5 Boys

If you're anything like me, you're going to just love this book. It was so good!!!

Please check your e-mails because I need your names and addresses so I can forward the information to Ms. Moran!

Keep checking back over the next few weeks because I have loads of giveaways coming up -- and they're just in time for the holidays!

Guest Blogger: Malena Lott

I am just thrilled that Malena Lott, author of DATING DA VINCI, agreed to write a guest post for Booking Mama. I read and reviewed DATING DA VINCI (you can read my review), and I thought this book was very entertaining. I think you will get a great idea of Ms. Lott's writing style, and especially her sense of humor, when you read her essay about...

Good Friends & La Dolce Vita by Malena Lott

With the November launch of my second novel, Dating da Vinci, a lot of questions have naturally been on my mind. A) Will my addiction to cable news wane post-election? B) Will people still buy books, specifically my book, in the midst of a recession? C) How can I still be regular ol’ Mom when I have the book promotion, consulting work and the holidays to contend with? D) Can I write about la dolce vita, the sweet life, in my book and on my blog tours and really pull it off in real life?

The answers to all the above, is a tepid, reluctant, yes? I wish it could be a more resounding, Palin-esque winking, “You betcha. You just put your coat on and endure the blizzard and don’t complain!” But this isn’t Alaska. I’m not a fisherperson. And some days enduring a blizzard seems like more fun than my to-do list. But here’s how I got to yes.

A) Spending less time with snarky news types does free up some time for the other more pressing issues. Like assisting the kids with the mountain of laundry that’s been adding up. (What, you didn’t think I’d do it myself, did you?)

B) A very prominent independent bookseller told me that books actually do quite well during a recession because people spend money on smaller ticket items such as books, which is seen as a thoughtful gift, instead of, say, flat screen TVs. I like her thinking there.

C) I guess there is no such thing as a “regular ol’ Mom.” We know we all do things differently, and that means I might be the harried mom who might forget her snack sign-up without an extra phone call, note home, e-mail and in-person reminder for a couple of months. My kids have been put on Red Alert. “Mommy is extra busy, so don’t let me forget to feed you!”

D) La dolce vita is quite possible, even in a harried schedule, even during a recession, or after a major setback. In fact, I think it’s a measure of a man or woman how calm one can be during a storm. I liked that Eckhart Tolle said that dealing with a screaming toddler is “spiritual practice.” So, in some ways, I’m well on my way to zen, then! If my widowed mother of two, Ramona, can find la dolce vita, then by golly, I can. And so can you.

I had a big a-ha moment last Thursday night when forty girlfriends, old and new, celebrated a La Dolce Vita Girls Night Out with me last Thursday. I read them a particularly sultry passage from the book. They bought lots of copies of Dating da Vinci for Christmas gifts and gifts to self. We drank fabulous Flirtinis, and I realized that those women are my life rafts. They are the coat in the blizzard, the babysitter when I need to take an hour for a radio interview, the unpaid promoters of my art and ready, willing and able to cast aside their own to-do list to make time for sharing a Flirtini, and a story, with me. In my novel, Ramona shares a Girls Night In with her best friend Anh, making Flirtinis and sharing their hopes and woes.

I invite you to do the same with your best girlfriends. I’ve created a video of how to make a Flirtini on my web site. It’s cheaper than Girls Night Out and a fun way to spend the evening enjoying the sweet life! To friends! Cheers!

Malena Lott is a wife, mother of three, and brand and marketing consultant from Oklahoma. Lott invites you to learn more about Dating da Vinci on her web site www.malenalott.com, read reviews, enter contests, learn some Italian phrases and watch videos of the author sharing her favorite recipes.

A big thanks goes out to Ms. Lott for taking the time to stop by. I think it would be so much fun to have a Girls Night Out and I am dying to try a Flirtini (check out the recipe here.) I think we can all relate a little to wanting the "dolce vita;" and I'm embarrassed to admit that the part about "Mommy is extra busy, so don't let me forget to feed you" did ring a little too close to home!

Testimony Video

Just a few days ago, I posted my review of TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve. It is an incredibly powerful book that I absolutely adored. Check out this video of Ms. Shreve as she discusses the novel.

Review: Dating da Vinci

Summary: A gorgeous young Italian, with nowhere to go . . .
His name just happens to be Leonardo da Vinci. When he walks into Ramona Elise's English class, he's a twenty-five-year-old immigrant, struggling to forge a new life in America - but he's lonely, has nowhere to live, and barely speaks English . . .

She knows she shouldn't take him home . . .

Picking up the pieces of her life after the death of her beloved husband, linguist and teacher Ramona Elise can't help but be charmed by her gorgeous new student. And when he calls her "Mona Lisa" she just about loses her heart . . . -- Sourcebooks

Every once in awhile, I like to pick up a light, fun read. DATING DA VINCI by Malena Lott was the perfect choice because it's basically a romance, chick lit book for women in their 30s! I thought the premise sounded kind of cute -- a young widow and mother of two "gets her groove back." And when I saw Jenny Gardiner's, author of SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER, ringing endorsement on the back cover, I pretty much knew that I'd like this book.

This book was definitely a pleasure to read. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Ramona -- she is about my age and a mother of two when she suddenly loses her husband. As I read this book, I could really relate to Ramona and her grief. I can't imagine how I'd ever move on if I were in her situation (I know you have to for the kids' sake.) While the subject matter of this book could have been very depressing, this book was ultimately very uplifting. I really appreciated was how the author was able to incorporate so much humor into the pages of this book and provide a happily ever after ending.

The characters in the book were terrific, especially Ramona; however, I also really liked her best friend Anh. She was the ideal friend for Ramona and often times, she provided just what Ramona needed. I also thought Ramona's "perfect" sister was a hoot! Of course, I couldn't help but be captivated by Leo in much the same way that Ramona was. It was so refreshing to read a novel where a mature woman was able to rediscover herself and her needs with a little help from a younger man!

Another thing I really enjoyed about this novel was how the author incorporated Ramona's occupation as a linguist into the story. Not only did Ramona meet Leo as a result of teaching English to foreign students, but I thought the author did a great job of weaving word meanings and the "language of love" into the storyline. She even had the family play Scrabble (the all-time best word game) as a way of being together. I loved reading Ramona's body language interpretations, and I thought it was so cute how the author used Ramona's name as a play on words -- Ramona Elise/Mona Lisa.

After enjoying DATING DA VINCI so much, I'd definitely like to read Malena Lott's other novel, THE STORK REALITY. I was very impressed with her ability to tell Ramona's story, and I thought she did a wonderful job of expressing Ramona's feelings about the sudden death of her husband and the grief that followed. Ms. Lott has an awesome (and fun) website that you should visit. Once you are there, you can learn more about Ms. Lott's books, listen to a few of her favorite recipes, read her blog, and even enter some awesome contests (I did.)

If your club is looking for a lighter read around the holidays, you might want to consider DATING DA VINCI. It's an uplifting book about starting over and second chances. And, I liked that it shows how a woman in her 30s and a mother of two can still manage to find love. There are numerous themes to discuss including "the grieving process, May-December romances, second chances, Heaven, soul mates, and family dynamics." Ms. Lott will even send you the discussion questions if you contact her. You can read an excerpt here.

Make sure you come back tomorrow because Ms. Lott will be stopping by with a terrific guest post!

November 2008 Book Club Meeting and December Selection

Summary: “ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways. -- The Dial Press

If you read my post yesterday, you know that I absolutely loved THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Not surprisingly, my book club agreed -- all of us thoroughly enjoyed the book! We spent some time discussing all of the characters, and we definitely wished that we were able to meet them. I think we all wanted to know a little bit more about each of the members of the book club, especially Elizabeth. We thought the authors did a wonderful job of writing this book as well as incorporating humor into a very depressing time period.

I thought it was interesting that one of us said that she could see this book as a movie. We didn't talk about who should star in the movie, but now I'm thinking that I should have asked that question. That definitely would have been fun!

We also spent a fair amount of time discussing why the book was written in the form of letters. Of course, we did go off on a few tangents (that's pretty typical for us) and we talked about how we've lost the beauty of letters in today's electronic society. We also talked a lot about WWII and how it affected so many people's lives. Overall, I'd have to say that it was a very good discussion book!

For December, we will be reading THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER by Margaret Cezair-Thompson. I am so excited that my friend selected this book because I have been "eyeing" it up since Unbridled Books first released it in hardcover. This book looks wonderful and it even won the Essence Literary Award in Fiction. It has also been chosen as the Celestial Seasonings Adventure at Every Turn book club selection -- you can read more about it here.

Our December meeting will also be our little Holiday celebration! Each year, we bring one book that we enjoyed throughout the year and wrap it. It can be a new or used book (if you're willing to part with it.) Then we do a kind of Yankee Swap -- stealing and all. It's a lot of fun and we all end up with another good book for our library.

Summary: In 1946, Hollywood’s most famous swashbuckler, Errol Flynn, arrived in Jamaica in a storm-ravaged boat. After a long and celebrated career on the silver screen, Flynn spent the last years of his life on a small island off the Jamaican coast, where he fell in love with the people, the paradisiacal setting, and the privacy, and brought a touch of Tinseltown glamour to the West Indian community.

Based on those years, The Pirate’s Daughter imagines an affair between the aging matinee star and Ida, a beautiful local girl. Flynn’s affections are unpredictable but that doesn’t stop Ida from dreaming of a life with him, especially after the birth of their daughter, May.

Margaret Cezair-Thompson weaves stories of mothers and daughters, fathers and lovers, country and kin, into this compelling, dual-generational coming-of-age tale of two women struggling to find their way in a nation wrestling with its own independence. -- Random House

Hello...You Won Life After Genius

Congratulations to Jessica! You won a copy of LIFE AFTER GENIUS by M. Ann Jacoby. Please send me your name and address so I can send the book out to you!

A big thanks goes out to Hachette Book Group USA for sponsoring this contest!

Check out my other contests going on:

THE HERETIC QUEEN
GODS BEHAVING BADLY

I'm also going to be having a few more giveaways in the next couple of weeks! Some of these books will make fabulous gifts for your family and friends (or even yourself!)

Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Summary: “ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways. -- The Dial Press

I was so very excited when the Preschool Moms Book Club selected THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows for our November selection. I have been wanting to read this book for awhile now because everyone seems to just love it! And as an extra bonus, I had just received the book in the mail as part of my three-month GiftLit package so I didn't have to go out and buy a book this month!

Oh my goodness, how I treasured this book. There are so many terrific reviews out there that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to say anything new, but I just enjoyed every minute of reading it and I can't wait to talk about it tonight with my friends. The book is written in the format of letters, and I will admit that it did take me a few pages to "get it." (You can read an excerpt of a few of the letters to see what I mean.) But once I established who the characters were and what their roles were, I was hooked!

I loved this novel for so many different reasons that I'm having a hard time articulating what I liked about it. I thought the writing was very good as was the character development. I absolutely adored Julia, but I also thought many of the characters in this novel were very unique and special. The various members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society were all wonderful people for variety of reasons, and they will no doubt remain with you long after reading this book. Despite being oppressed for years while their country was occupied by the Germans, these people managed to make the best of the circumstances and develop incredible friendships and relationships. I experienced such beautiful and uplifting feelings while reading this book and even after I finished it.

Another huge reason that I enjoyed this novel so much was it really showed the "power of books." As a huge book lover, I liked the overall message that books can open up so many possibilities in our lives. In THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, the German soldiers were going to arrest some of the characters because they were wondering around after their curfew. It was only because a quick thinking woman invented the story that they were a group that met to discuss books that they were "saved." After this incident, these people actually began meeting to discuss the various books they were reading. These people who were very isolated in many ways actually got to "live" through these books.

Not only did I find the book a pleasure to read, but I also found the history and background of Guernsey during World War II fascinating. I had absolutely no idea that the island was occupied by the Germans and that the Guernsey people weren't allowed to receive any news from the rest of the world. It's apparent to me that Ms. Shaffer did a great deal of research while writing this novel. And, I could tell that this book was a labor of love (both for Ms. Shaffer as well as her niece Annie Barrows who stepped in to finish it when she became ill.) Watch the video if you want to learn more about this book:



I am so excited to hear what my friends think about THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY tonight when we get together to discuss it. I've already taken a look at the discussion questions, and I think they are just perfect for us to talk about. I'll be writing later tonight to let you know how our meeting went; and I'll be announcing our December book club selection.

Also reviewed at:
Sincerely Stacie

Review: Testimony

Summary: At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellingly explores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions. -- Little, Brown and Co.

I received an ARC of TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve a few months ago, and I just put it on my huge stack of books. I have read a lot of Ms. Shreve's books (even a few for my book club); and for the most part, I have enjoyed them. So I'm not really sure why I didn't get around to reading this one until now. But after reading so many good reviews, I decided to pick it up and see what all the fuss was about. WOW! Now I know! I was totally mesmerized with this story and the characters, and I couldn't put this book down.

Needless to say, I was drawn into the story of a sex scandal at a New England private boarding school from the very first chapter. I thought it was brilliant how Ms. Shreve told this story. Each chapter was written from a different character's point of view. Not only did this method allow the reader to get to know and understand lots of different characters in this story, but it was so perfect for allowing the reader to see how many people were affected by this one event.

I thought Ms. Shreve did an excellent job of developing all of the characters in this novel. Without a doubt, there were many lives that were changed forever (and maybe even destroyed) as the result of this scandal. I was fascinated by the characters' insights and reactions following this event, but I was even more amazed to learn some of the things that preceded the incident. I loved how Ms. Shreve alternated between current day and flashbacks to tell this story. And, I thought how she decided to reveal the mysteries was intriguing.

I also found it very interesting that Ms. Shreve chose to tell this story from the viewpoints of the various characters involved -- some of the chapters were written in first person narrative while others were written in third person (and one character's chapters were in second person.) I'd love to ask the author her reasons for writing the novel this way. For me, I found that I didn't relate near as well to those characters that were written from the third person point of view -- I'm sure that was on purpose. While I couldn't help but feel pity on some level for most of the characters in this novel, I have to admit that some of the characters were certainly harder to like than others -- most notable the headmaster and the "victim."

As I read this book, I just had this feeling that there was going to be something awful occur as a result of the sex scandal. The author refers to some failed marriages, but I had a sick feeling in the pit my stomach that there was another bigger tragedy in this book. I think that was probably a huge reason why I couldn't stop reading this book. Even though I "knew" something terrible was going to happen, I had to find out what it was. As I read the book and could see where it was going, I was just devastated by how far this sex scandal reached.

TESTIMONY would be the perfect book to discuss with friends. There is a reading group guide with lots of terrific discussion topics. There is also an excerpt you can read from the first chapter, and you'll see what I mean about getting hooked right away. Trust me -- there is just so much to talk about with this book. Personally, I would find it fascinating to discuss Ms. Shreve's writing style and her decisions about the characters, but I also would be curious to hear what others think about the short-term as well as the long-lasting effects of this incident. Some of the themes that you could also look at include friendship, love, desire, passion, forgiveness, and redemption. You should definitely consider reading this for your next book club, or at the very least, reading it for yourself!

Also reviewed at:
Literarily
Savvy Verse and Wit

Hello...You Won Hollywood Crows

Well, I'm a little disappointed because I love to give away free books; and based on the criteria I set, I only received enough comments to give away two books. The winners of HOLLYWOOD CROWS by Joseph Wambaugh are:

Ruby (Mouth) and Janel

Please e-mail me with your name and mailing address so we can get the books out to you right away. A big thanks goes out to Hachette Book Group USA for providing the books for the contest!

Review: Otis the Musical Owl

Summary: Otis isn’t your ordinary owl. For one thing, he’s got high musical tastes—Bach, Mozart, Chopin. And human language? Mastered it. But after flying the coop from an animal rehabilitation lab, Otis undertakes his biggest challenge yet: discovering his long-lost family.

It’s a task that will set in motion a massive animal pursuit all over Otsego County, New York State, as once sworn food-chain enemies join forces to help the charismatic owl discover his roots. Meet Pee Wee, the little field mouse with a big heart who organizes his brethren to scour every barn for Otis’ family; and Mary, a fellow owl who could hold the key to what really happened that day Otis was left an orphan. Through it all, this brainy bird learns the value of having friends in low places, while showing the high-flying leadership qualities that soon make him an inter-species legend.

Join Otis on his journey to seek out his mom, dad, brother and sister in this spirited look into an animal kingdom off-limits to us humans—until now. -- Outskirts Press

I really thought from the description that OTIS THE MUSICAL OWL by Joseph N. Chappelle sounded like a book that my daughter and I would enjoy. I tend to like kid's books about animals, and I was hoping that the story of a special owl named Otis would be entertaining. Unfortunately, I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy this book very much, and neither did my daughter.

I thought the first chapter about a family discovering a baby owl and eventually giving it to a game warden was pretty good. I liked how at the end of the chapter, the author left open the possibility that the owl the family kept hearing just might be Otis returning to their home. Chapter 2 told about the time that Otis lived in the animal rehabilitation center. While I found some of this chapter interesting, especially the parts that explained how an owl hunts and flies, it got a little weird to me when the author wrote that "Some of the animals thought of Otis as a god. Some of him thought of him as a devil."

From this point on, I wasn't really "into" this book. I admit that when the storyline turned to unicorns and then distant galaxies, I kind of started to tune out. Even though this book didn't really appeal to me, I will say that there were some good overall messages in it. For example, Otis learned three Great Truths: 1. All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. 2.One can do all things through God, who strengthens one. 3. Every day is a day that God has made, and one must be glad and rejoice in that day.

My daughter wasn't exactly drawn to this book either; however, she did enjoy a few parts of the story. She liked that Otis was learning about his family and trying to find them. In addition, she thought the part where Pee Wee the field mouse rode on Otis' back while Otis was flying in search of his mother was "very funny and exciting." She was afraid that poor little Pee Wee would fall off of Otis.

All in all, OTIS THE MUSICAL OWL wasn't one of our favorite books; however, we did manage to find some enjoyable parts and good life lessons.

Novel Adventures: A New Web Series

Just a few days ago, I received an e-mail telling me about an original web series from CBS.com called Novel Adventures. Here's a little bit about the new series: Lizzie, Laura, Joanna, and Amy are decidedly uninterested in the pretentious book club they belong to, but they enjoy the time away from their families. Determined to take their 'us'-time and enjoy it, they decide to use the books as inspiration. It's great to read about amazing lives, but these girls are ready to live them.

And so, the four women start a new kind of book club, picking a "novel adventure" for each book. Each meeting is an opportunity for discovery, freedom, and fun. The adventure is just the beginning.

The novels explored in the web series include the following:

The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
Girls Like Us (Sheila Weller)
The Bourne Trilogy (Robert Ludlum)
Monster of Florence (Douglas Preston)
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry (Kathleen Flinn)
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Life So Far (Betty Friedan)
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows)
Knit Two (Kate Jacobs)

Check out the trailer below:



I have watched the first two episodes so far and thought they were kind of cute. I am anxious to see what adventures the women face for the last two books -- THE GUERNSEY LITERARY & POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY (which I just finished) and KNIT TWO (which is in my TBR pile.)

You can see the first two episodes as well as some bonus footage here. You can also join Novel Adventures, learn more about the show and the cast, create your own profile, chat with other book lovers, and even find book clubs in your area. (Plus, you can learn a lot about Saturn vehicles -- they sponsor the series.)

Hello...You Won In the Land of Invisible Women

Unfortunately, I can only give away two copies of IN THE LAND OF INVISIBLE WOMEN by Dr. Qanta Ahmed so I hope a lot of you took advantage of the opportunity for the free e-book at Library Thing. It looks like a wonderful book.

Without futher ado, the winners are:
Marissa
shelburns

Please e-mail me with your name and address so we can get the books out to you right away. A big thanks goes out to Sourcebooks for providing the books for this giveaway!

I still have a few more giveaways going on right now (and a few more to come in the next few weeks.)

HOLLYWOOD CROWS
LIFE AFTER GENIUS
GODS BEHAVING BADLY
THE HERETIC QUEEN

Review: The Islands of Divine Music

Summary: The Islands of Divine Music is a novel of five generations of an Italian-American family finding its place in the New World. Against a backdrop of Immigration, Prohibition, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the new millennium, five generations of the Verbicaro family make their way from Southern Italy to San Francisco as each character brushes up against some aspect of the divine.

The family matriarch is Rosari, a little girl whose family flees Italy because her prodigality is exploited by illiterate kidnappers. After her beautiful, psychotic mother’s suicide, the girl and her despondent father come to San Francisco, where she meets the man she’ll marry, a handsome, fiercely strong peasant named Giuseppe Verbicaro. The twelve linked stories of The Islands of Divine Music are portraits of family members whose lives are interwoven in one narrative that spans 100 years.

Rosari and Giuseppe’s oldest son, Narciso, a handsome and dim-witted dandy, barely evades death and the stain of organized crime by his simple-minded innocence and luck, while his passionate brother Ludovico, a talented third baseman in the old San Francisco minor leagues, falls prey to the illicit dreams of a wise guy from the Gambino family. His scheme to smuggle Cuban cigars to the San Francisco Bay nearly ends in drowning but leads to a kind of salvation.

Their youngest brother, Joe, a brilliant child and shrewd businessman, is ashamed of his ethnicity and, in particular, his father. This is due in part to the fact that Giuseppe, wandering North Beach, believes that God directs him to marry a teen-aged, pregnant Mexican prostitute named Maria. Further senility, faith, or vermouth convinces the old man that Maria’s child, Jesus, is the product of an immaculate conception. The event is both a family disgrace and a bizarre blessing. The child’s life and tragic death come to have a profound effect on Giuseppe’s progeny, particularly Joe’s children: Penelope, who flees the country following involvement in deadly anti-Vietnam War activities, and her brothers Paulie and Angelo, who are inspired by the young Jesus to embark upon a quest of several thousand miles to recover the family’s lost and most prized spiritual treasures. -- Unbridled Books

I want to thank Libby from Unbridled Books for sending me a copy of THE ISLANDS OF DIVINE MUSIC by John Addiego. I read this book in one day because I just couldn't put it down. I quickly became caught up in the various members of the Verbicaro family; and I was fascinated by the way the author told their stories. THE ISLANDS OF DIVINE MUSIC wasn't a very long book (around 250 pages), but it definitely packed a powerful punch.

I would probably classify this book as a family saga -- each chapter told a part of the family's history from a different characters' perspective. The book covered a lot of time, around 100 years, and began with the story of Rosari and her father who immigrated from Italy to the United States. As I read this book, I got to "meet" Rosari's husband and her children, and her grandchildren. I loved how Mr. Addiego incorporated major historical events, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam War, into the Verbicaro family's lives and allowed the reader to see how these events impacted their lives.

I was surprised to hear that this is Mr. Addiego's first novel because it is so polished. I found his writing to be so vivid yet also very magical (I know that sounds very strange, but I think it will make sense if you read the book.) As I read this book, I thought that each chapter could almost stand alone; so I wasn't surprised to find out that some of the chapters had been published as short stories. What I really appreciated was how the author was able to tie together the chapters that were written so differently. He used various references and different characters' insights into the same story to link the book -- it all just flowed so well.

Another wonderful thing about this novel was that it was both tragic and entertaining. Despite the problems the family faced, the author still incorporated a great deal of humor into this story. I especially found the chapter entitled Mr. Santa Claus to be quite entertaining. It tells the story of Mickey, a girl with Down's syndrome, who wants to sit on a department store Santa's lap. He refuses because she is too large -- of course, this devastates Mickey. A family friend of questionable integrity later brings the roughed-up Santa to Mickey's house on Christmas Eve for a personal visit. I found myself laughing many times throughout this chapter at the author's descriptions of Santa and Mickey.

While this book did tell the story of the Verbicaro family over many generations, it also had a mythical quality to it. I'm not entirely sure that I "got" all of the symbolism, but there was definitely a magical and spiritual feeling to this novel. Ultimately I felt this book was about redemption and forgiveness, but I'm almost positive that other readers will interpret different meanings from this story.

I think THE ISLANDS OF DIVINE MUSIC would make an excellent book club discussion book, especially if your group liked ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE. You can read a brief excerpt to get an idea of Mr. Addiego's writing style. There is a reading guide available to help stimulate your discussion as well as a very interesting author interview.

Also reviewed at:
Diary of an Eccentric
Book Addiction

Check Out Paperback Frenzy

Recently, I was contacted about a great new resource for book lovers. It's called Paperback Frenzy! Here's a little more about Paperback Frenzy:

"Here at Paperback Frenzy we review books. That’s it. We are just a couple of friends who like to read books and share them with others. What better way to do that than by creating a new website? "

Right now, there are seven contributors (including yours truly) who provide book reviews on all types of books. The website looks great and I'm sure you can find more books to add to your TBR list!

Review: A Silent Ocean Away

Summary: Charmaine Ryan knows only poverty and pain growing up. In the wake of a horrifying tragedy, she seeks a new life, and fate leads her into the private world of the wealthy Duvoisin clan. At first, it seems as if nothing terrible could touch this seemingly charmed family. But an ill wind blows through the halls and chambers of the Duvoisins' sprawling island retreat, carrying betrayal, deceit, and ominous peril.

Quickly, Charmaine is caught up in the secrets and mystique swirling around the enigmatic family. At the center are shipping tycoon Frederic Duvoisin and his youthful wife, Colette. And there is Paul Duvoisin, a dashing seducer and Frederic's bastard son, who stirs a dangerous fascination in the two women; the scheming Agatha Ward, who will not rest until she's taken Colette's place in Frederic's heart as well as in his bed; and exiled son, John, who reenters the family fold, stoking the turmoil as he unveils truths best kept hidden. Ultimately, Charmaine chooses to stand with Colette against formidable enemies, but has she made the right decision?

A sweeping, remarkable blend of adventure, romance, intrigue, and suspense, A Silent Ocean Away heralds the arrival of a glorious new voice on the historical fiction scene. -- Avon A

I was fortunate enough to receive A SILENT OCEAN AWAY: Colette's Dominion by DeVa Gantt from the Avon A Fiction Readers' Group at Gather. I have been reading a lot of historical fiction lately, and I thought this novel looked very interesting because it is being marketed as one of those big, sweeping family sagas. I agree that this book was primarily a family saga, with more emphasis on the family and their relationships than the historical information of early 19th century; however I definitely found myself caught up in Charmaine's life as well as the members of the Duvoisin household.

From the first few chapters of the book, I knew that I would love getting to know Charmaine. Charmaine is just an extremely kind-hearted and generous girl who has to overcome so many obstacles. Not only does she have to deal with losing her mother at the hands of her father, but she also has to handle moving to a new home, taking on a new job as a governess, and living with a family which has a great deal of conflict. In addition, she finds herself attracted to a man who is considered a ladies' man and a heart-breaker. I thought the character of Charmaine was very well-developed and I just loved her; but I also had fun seeing how the members of the Duvoisin household (as well as their interactions with one another) were portrayed. I enjoyed seeing Charmaine mature into a strong, independent young woman throughout the pages of this novel; and I also liked learning about the juicy background surrounding the family.

One thing that I really liked about this novel was that while it was heavy on relationships and romance, it still was an extremely "clean" novel. Don't make me swear to this, but I can't remember anything the least bit offensive from a language or romance aspect. In this day and age, that's not always true; and while I don't consider myself a prude, I found it extremely refreshing. It just goes to show that a book doesn't need all that stuff to be entertaining.

When I started this novel, I knew that A SILENT OCEAN AWAY was the first book in a trilogy that Avon A, an imprint of Harper Collins, plans to publish over the next few years. In fact, in the A+ Author Insights, Extras, & More... at the back of the book, there is an excerpt of the next novel in the series DECISION AND DESTINY: Colette's Legacy. I was very glad to have something else to read about these characters because the actual book ended so suddenly that I felt a little cheated. The book just kind of stopped (I was looking to see if I was missing pages), and I definitely think it left the reader wanting more.

I found the information about the "author" DeVa Gantt to be very interesting. A SILENT OCEAN AWAY is actually a coauthored work by real-life sisters Deb and Val (thus the name DeVa.) I am just blown away by the concept of writing a huge novel with someone else (nevertheless your sister.) You can read more about their fascinating story here. In summary, they began working on the novel way back in 1979, but their lives just "got in the way." Both women had careers and families, but they eventually came back to the novel and self-published the story in 2005. Positive reviews flowed in, and in 2006 Harper Collins decided to publish the novel as a trilogy.

I'm not sure that this a the type of book that my book club would want to discuss, but I'm pretty sure that most of the women would thoroughly enjoy the story. There is a type of reader's guide in the back of the book, but it's not the usual discussion question format. Rather, there are questions and answers by the authors; however, I think many of the questions could also be discussed by book clubs.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the Colette Trilogy; but unfortunately, I will have to wait until April 2009. After reading THE SILENT OCEAN AWAY, I am extremely interested in the Duvoisin family and Charmaine; and I dying to know what happens to all of them. I have quite a few questions and unresolved issues still floating around in my head. I'm pretty sure that I won't be alone with these feelings -- many readers will be looking forward to the next two novels!

Also reviewed at:
Reader Report

Guest Blogger: Jennie Shortridge

I recently read and reviewed LOVE AND BIOLOY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE by Jennie Shortridge. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and you can read my review here. I am just thrilled that Ms. Shortridge took the time out of her very busy schedule to join me today. She wrote an interesting (and very entertaining) guest post which looks at...

The Biology of Marriage

Little did I know when I wrote Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe that by re-imagining the age-old story of the runaway wife, I might tap the zeitgeist of that elusive fifty percent: the American married. And not just the female contingent. As I write this, nearly half of the customer reviews for the book on Amazon are from men.

For the past few months promoting this book, I’ve traveled the American West doing readings, phoned in to book club meetings across the country, and participated in numerous blog events out in cyberspace. Through all of that, I’ve been fascinated to discover that we’re all asking the same questions about the state of long-term marriage and the lack of passion that can plague it—or worse, sound the alarm or death knell of something we once thought sacred and forever.

The following Q&A is presented with these caveats: I am no expert in marriage or psychology, and I hold no degrees nor am I a licensed anything. However, my husband and I have been together for nineteen years. I have been both the dumper and the dumpee in other relationships. I read voraciously about the biology of love, the science of romance and dating and mating. And like Paul Simon says in a song of the same title, “Maybe I think too much.”

An imaginary conversation, then, performed in two parts by me:

JS1: Where the heck did all that love and romance go and will it ever come back?

JS2: How clever of you to ask that question, JS! By understanding the biological underpinnings of human love and romance, we can gain clarity and achieve a better comfort level around the inevitable changes in our marriages.

When first we fall in love, chemicals flow through our brains that make us feel euphoric, aroused, and attractive, and like the only one on earth who has ever felt this way with another person. It’s the same chemical that drives addiction. It’s the same chemical that is released when we eat chocolate. Why? So we will fulfill our biological imperative and mate with another human. That’s it. From the body’s perspective, it’s not about finding our soul mate, but about replacing ourselves on earth so our species will survive.

Once we have fulfilled that obligation, or enough time has passed to do that—say a year to a year-and-a-half—the passion chemical is replaced by a bonding chemical that encourages us to stay together long enough to raise the offspring to physical viability—say seven years old (the dreaded seven-year itch). And yes, it applies even if we don’t have children.

At that point, the partnership is no longer required, biologically speaking, and things can get dicey. That’s when we must become our most human selves and not act and react from an unthinking and solely biological place. That’s when it gets more difficult to be romantic and kind with our partners, but we have to if we want to build life-long love and respect (and fingers crossed, passion) inside our relationships.

(For more details from a real expert, read Why We Love by anthropologist Helen Fisher.)

JS1: Must we simply forego passion when it evaporates from our marriage?

JS2: There’s a reason why they say marriage takes work. It’s not the bills or the kids or the countless other obligations that are the hard work. It’s staying passionate and in love and respectful through all of those things that is the challenge. Staying conscious of the state of your relationship, staying awake a little longer at night to canoodle, rubbing your partner’s back when you should really be answering a work email or when you’d really rather watch mindless TV. Watch your partner’s eyes instead when he/she tells you about his/her day. Try to see what’s happening behind the words. Offer a hug that lasts more than two seconds. Squeeze a little harder on bad days. It’s the small kindnesses, and the reciprocation of them, that help two people stay in love.

JS1: Is it wrong to fantasize about running away? Okay, about doing the horizontal tango with someone who is not necessarily your spouse?

JS2: I hope not. I figure that anything happening between your own two ears is your business only. I’ve talked with a lot of women now about this topic, and trust me when I say you’re not the only one with a rich fantasy life.
_________________________________________________

Jennie Shortridge lives in Seattle and is the author of three novels from NAL: Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe, Eating Heaven, and Riding with the Queen. Her next book will be published in November 2009.

Review: Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe

Summary: Upon learning that her college sweetheart husband has been seeing another woman, Mira Serafino’s once perfect world is shattered and she wants no one, least of all her big Italian family, to know. She takes off—with no destination and little money—heading north until her car breaks down in Seattle. There she takes a job at the offbeat Coffee Shop at the Center of the Universe, where she’ll experience a terrifying but invigorating freedom, and meet someone she’ll come to love: the new Mira. -- NAL/Penguin

When TLC Book Tours announced that they were scheduling the Book Tour for LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE by Jennie Shortridge, I signed up immediately. I had read many wonderful reviews of this book, and I have to admit that I was attracted to the cover. Either way, I really wanted to read this book! I also thought the premise behind the novel -- that a middle-aged woman finds out her husband is seeing another woman and leaves her family only to re-discover herself -- sounded very interesting.

I was expecting to really enjoy this novel, and I did. I liked that this story had a woman in her mid-forties as the main character -- she was just a normal wife, daughter and mother who was living her life and always trying to make everyone else happy. I found this book to be unique in that it was a type of coming-of-age novel, except instead of a young protangonist "finding" him/herself, it was a middle-aged female character. I think so many women out there could see parts of themselves in Mira or relate (at least in some part) to her. And for those of us who are Type A women who want it all, some things about Mira and her family really resonated.

I thought Ms. Shortridge did an excellent job with the mother-daughter conflict in this novel. As the mother of a nine year old daughter, I can see the potential for some tension as she approaches the pre-teen and teenage years; however, I hope (and pray) that it never comes to this point -- Mira and her daughter's relationship brought these normal mother-daughter issues to an entirely new level. Not only did I appreciate how Ms. Shortridge handled the conflict between Mira and her daughter, but I also liked how she eventually had both of them comes to terms with their issues and learn to respect each other.

This novel most certainly evoked many emotions in me while I read it. At times, I found myself terribly angry and frustrated with Mira for how she handled things, but then I would suddenly think things over and begin to feel sorry for her. (I have to admit that I can't imagine leaving my family and starting over in a new town with a new job.) I loved how the author was able to make me both laugh and cry with Mira as she discovered new things about herself and her life. As I read this book, I definitely felt as if I got to know and appreciate both the old, as well as the new, Mira.

I think Ms. Shortridge really did a wonderful job of writing this novel; and I can't wait to read more of her work. Her next book will be available in November 2009 and it looks like a good one (you can read more about it here.) Ms. Shortridge has a terrific website which entertained me for quite awhile -- I especially loved the section where she listed her reading list. It's chock full of good book recommendations (as if I need more to add to my TBR list.)

LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE would make an excellent selection for many book clubs. I think there are so many issues to discuss; and it would be so interesting to hear what other women would have to say about Mira's story. I'm pretty sure that if my book club read this book, we wouldn't have any problem finding things to talk about (and I can bet that we all wouldn't agree either so that would make it extra fun.) You can read the discussion questions here as well as an interesting interview with the author.

If you'd like to read more about LOVE AND BIOLOGY AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE or Jennie Shortridge, here's the upcoming schedule for the book tour :

Saturday, November 1st: Estella’s Revenge
Monday, November 3rd: Booking Mama
Wednesday, November 5th: She is Too Fond of Books
Friday, November 7th: Curly Wurly Gurly
Monday, November 10th: Fizzy Thoughts
Wednesday, November 12th: Tripping Toward Lucidity
Friday, November 14th: Literarily
Monday, November 17th: Shelf Life
Wednesday, November 19th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Friday, November 21st: Bookshipper
Monday, November 24th: Minds Alive on the Shelves
Wednesday, November 26th: Book Addiction
Sunday, November 30th: B & b ex libris

Make sure you check back tomorrow because Jennie Shortridge will be stopping by with a wonderful guest post!

Review: Queen Vernita's Visitors

Summary: Queen Vernita invites twelve wonderful friends to visit with her during each month of the year. Queen Vernita and her friends enjoy fun activities throughout the Oceaneers Kingdom. Parents and teachers will love teaching the monthly calendar days of the weeks and season through the storytelling adventures of Queen Vernita and her friends. -- Outskirts Press

When I read this description of QUEEN VERNITA'S VISITORS by Dawn Menge and illustrated by Bobbi Switzer, I thought it might be the perfect book to teach the days of the week and the months of the year to my four year old son. He loves to "blog about books," and he was very anxious to get started on this one. We sat down last night and read this book, but I have to admit that we didn't have great results. He was very interested in it for awhile; but by the time we got to the page about the month of September, he started to get fidgety. By November, he was just plain done.

I really do like the concept of this book -- a queen is lonely so she invites a different visitor each month of the year. Each page spread covers a different month and then describes the queen and her friend's activities for every day of the week. The author also manages to incorporate the various seasons and things associated with the seasonal holidays into the story. Where the book fell short for me was the constant repetition. I understand that repetition is key to teaching kids new concepts, but I read 84 different days and their activities. Not only did is get kind of boring to keep reading the days of the week for each month, but the book took a long time to read -- a little too long for my four year old.

Check out this cute video below which tells you a little more about the book and shows some of the illustrations:



While this book wasn't one of my son's favorites, I think many kids will really enjoy it and learn from it. In addition, I think teachers might find QUEEN VERNITA'S VISITORS a valuable learning aide to teach their students about the months of the year, the days of the week, and the various seasons and holidays.

Review: Home Girl

Summary: After twenty years as a foreign correspondent in tumultuous locales including Rwanda, Chechnya, and Sudan, Judith Matloff is ready to put down roots and start a family. She leaves Moscow and returns to her native New York City to house-hunt for the perfect spot while her Dutch husband, John, stays behind in Russia with their dog to pack up their belongings. Intoxicated by West Harlem’s cultural diversity and, more important, its affordability, Judith impulsively buys a stately fixer-upper brownstone in the neighborhood.

Little does she know what’s in store. Judith and John discover that their dream house was once a crack den and that “fixer upper” is an understatement. The building is a total wreck: The beams have been chewed to dust by termites, the staircase is separating from the wall, and the windows are smashed thanks to a recent break-in. Plus, the house–crowded with throngs of brazen drug dealers–forms the bustling epicenter of the cocaine trade in the Northeast, and heavily armed police regularly appear outside their door in pursuit of the thugs and crackheads who loiter there.

Thus begins Judith and John’s odyssey to win over the neighbors, including Salami, the menacing addict who threatens to take over their house; MacKenzie, the literary homeless man who quotes Latin over morning coffee; Mrs. LaDuke, the salty octogenarian and neighborhood watchdog; and Miguel, the smooth lieutenant of the local drug crew, with whom the couple must negotiate safe passage. It’s a far cry from utopia, but it’s a start, and they do all they can to carve out a comfortable life. And by the time they experience the birth of a son, Judith and John have even come to appreciate the neighborhood’s rough charms.

Blending her finely honed reporter’s instincts with superb storytelling, Judith Matloff has crafted a wry, reflective, and hugely entertaining memoir about community, home, and real estate. Home Girl is for anyone who has ever longed to go home, however complicated the journey. -- Random House

When I read the description of HOME GIRL: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block by Judith Matloff, I knew it wasn't going to be a book that I related to. I have moved around a lot in my life, but I've always moved into brand new homes or ones that were only a year or two old. Because I am so not handy (that's an understatement -- when we need stuff done around the house, my husband and I tell everyone that we keep the economy moving), I am always amazed by people who buy fixer uppers and are able to turn them into beautiful homes. I knew that I would find the story of a couple who purchased a run-down home in Harlem, nonetheless, would prove to be very interesting!

I realize that this book is a memoir (and I know that means non-fiction), but I have to say that the idea of buying a former crack house in a major drug dealing neighborhood is so incredibly unbelievable to me that the book almost read like fiction. Call me naive and sheltered, but this story blew me away! The author, who was a former foreign correspondent and covered wars and other horrific stories, was most certainly a risk-taker and extremely courageous (although I thought at times she was crazy) to buy a home in West Harlem -- talk about an impulse buy. I am certainly not a risk-taker, either with buying a house in need of restoration or worse, buying in a drug infested neighborhood; however, I somehow was able to relate to Ms. Matloff's story. I am pretty sure that it was the author's writing style and experience as a journalist which made me appreciate the story so much and even "feel her pain."

While I thought this book was going to be about renovating a run-down house, it actually was so much deeper than that. I did find myself laughing (a lot) at the stories of her contractor fiascoes, the financial over-runs, the zany neighbors, and the various mishaps that occurred during the renovation; however, I think the true message that I took from this book was how the author and her husband managed to make this abandoned crack house and drug-filled neighborhood into their home and community. I was amazed how the author was able to "make friends" with the various drug runners and drug addicts in this neighborhood while also working with others in the community to clean it up. It was a story that showed that with determination and persistence, you can make things better!

There is a terrific video (that I found hilarious) which shows Ms. Matloff's house! The author takes you on a tour of her renovated house and you can "meet" many of the characters in the book. Warning: there are a few bad words and some adult content!

Hello...You Won Sarah's Key

I can't get over how many of you want SARAH'S KEY. I wish I could give all of you a copy because it's really good, but unfortunately only five of you can win. Here are the winners:

Jo-Jo
Jessica
micaela6955
Melanie
Jenny Girl

I will be e-mailing you shortly, so make sure you send me your name and mailing address so I can forward the information to St. Martin's Press.

I still have lots more books to giveaway:
THE HERETIC QUEEN
IN THE LAND OF INVISIBLE WOMEN
HOLLYWOOD CROWS
LIFE AFTER GENIUS
GODS BEHAVING BADLY